Ready or not — and he said he is — Brandon Wimbush will shed the red jersey he wore last season.

The junior quarterback, who was a redshirt spectator with a front-row seat to Notre Dame's 4-8 season, will start his first game for the Irish on Saturday.

Sure, it's the Blue-Gold spring game, an exhibition with wacky rules. And it's more than four months before the real season opener Sept. 2 against Temple.

But the rehearsal — and what Notre Dame and its revamped coaching staff hopes is a revival — is something for which the 6-foot-11/2, 226-pound right-hander has had plenty of time to prepare.

"I feel like it's the same mentality," Wimbush said of starting. "If you prepare yourself, then you don't have to get prepared."

The accounting major from Teaneck, N.J., wasn't talking in circles. He knows the Irish, with seven new staff members, including both coordinators and the quarterbacks coach, are starting from square one.

Wimbush's pedigree — he was his state's Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, when he led St. Peter's Prep to a Group 4 state title — is strong. So, too, is his wherewithal.

Last season, Wimbush was destined for the sideline, an understudy to DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, after appearing in two games as a freshman in 2015 as Kizer's emergency backup.

His 58-yard touchdown run against UMass that year offered a glimpse into what many considered a promising future.

"I feel like I (prepared) the last two years and I was able to take things away from DeShone and Malik," said Wimbush, who was 3 of 5 for 17 yards and ran for 96 more on seven carries in those two games. "DeShone was put into a position where he had to be prepared, and he was. He did it successfully."

While Kizer was forced into the second game of 2015 when Zaire was injured, Wimbush has had a little more time to absorb all that comes with his role.

Until December, he thought he might be destined for another season of waiting. Not until Zaire was cleared in late November for a graduate transfer and Kizer declared for the NFL draft less than two weeks later did it dawn on Wimbush he had gone to the top of the depth chart.

Leaving South Bend, he said, was never under consideration.

"It took a lot of self-confidence to be able to go out there ... for 15 weeks and grind your butt off and work with the guys and get yelled at," Wimbush said of his redshirt season. "It was all worth it."

Wimbush spent spring break in San Diego, polishing fundamentals at George Whitfield's quarterback academy to further prepare for this season.

Coaches and teammates have long praised Wimbush for his football ability and intelligence, even as he was relegated to scout-team duties last year. But his ascension to the starting job will mark something of a fresh start for the Irish.

New offensive coordinator Chip Long is on board. New quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees is too.

"He's a willing learner," Long said. "He does a great job of applying what we go over in the meeting room, cleaning up his mistakes ... and (he) uses his athleticism to help him out. He's done a good job of his leadership, trying to take control."

Wimbush said he learned that from Kizer. He also has taken advantage of having Rees around, just four years removed from being an Irish quarterback himself. The two have spent hours studying film, sometimes of Rees.

"Really a pleasure to be around," Rees said of Wimbush. "Smart, cares a lot about his teammates. Guys on the team love him (and) respect him. He just hasn't had an opportunity to play (much). ... He wants to be that guy. That's where you start."

A version of this article appeared in print on April 21, 2017, in the Sports section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Role-playing game - Wimbush ready to take center stage as Irish QB after 2 years of learning" —
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